Milestone reached on Dulles Metrorail project

Engineering, project management and construction company, Bechtel, has been building Phase 1 of the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project in northern Virginia and has installed the final segment of the elevated Tysons East Guideway, signaling the close out of the heavy civil work needed on the project.

The Tysons East Guideway is the longest of three aerial sections, when combined make up more than three miles of the project. It is comprised of 1,479 concrete segments, each uniquely engineered for its place on the alignment and weighing 25 to 40 tons a piece. The remaining aerial work will be completed by the end of the summer.

"This milestone means that we now have the green light to finish laying the rail through this portion of the guideway and begin connecting and testing the rail systems along the alignment," said Larry Melton, Bechtel project executive director.

In addition to the progress on the aerial guideways, construction of the stations is advancing. The Wiehle Avenue and Tysons East station structures are now finished and work on Phase 1 is nearly 80 percent complete. "We'll become a little less visible to the public as we move into the intricate work of connecting the Dulles extension to the existing rail line and start to power up," said Melton. "We are bringing on approximately 300 electricians from around the region to help us with this next stage of construction."

The Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project is an extension of the Washington, D.C., region's existing Metrorail system and is being managed by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.